Looking for the Masters in Ricardo's Golden Shoes

One summer a few years ago, photographer Catherine Balet and her friend, the stylist Ricardo Martinez Paz, were at the Arles Photography Festival in the South of France. Balet, who had often been amused by Ricardo's resemblance to Picasso decided to recreate Robert Doisneau's famous image of the painter with loaves for fingers and the publication of this and other early images on their Facebook pages aroused such enthusiasm that it prompted them to develop the work. The series now extends to over 120 images spanning the whole history of photography.

Catherine Balet graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and worked as a painter before turning to photography. She has exhibited widely throughout Europe and has published two previous books, Identity and Strangers in the Light (both published by Steidl). Argentinian born, Ricardo Martinez Paz moved to Paris in 1977. A well-known photographic stylist he has also worked as a costume designer on a number of feature films.